Over 500 Girls Inspired by Aviation and STEM at Reach for the Sky Festival in Cornwall

Published On: 28 July 2025Last Updated: 28 July 2025By CornishStuff

Over 1,000 Attend Sold-Out TECgirls Event at Spaceport Cornwall

On Saturday 5th July 2025, more than 1,000 people braved the rain to take part in the sold-out Reach for the Sky Festival at Spaceport Cornwall – a landmark event designed to spark interest in aviation, aerospace, and STEM among girls.

Organised by TECgirls, part of TECwomen CIC, the event welcomed over 500 girls for a day of hands-on discovery. The aim? To raise aspirations in industries where women remain heavily underrepresented, including aviation and engineering.

From Rocket Launches to Real Aircraft Cockpits

The festival spread across three buildings and featured more than 20 interactive exhibits. Attendees explored rocket launches, flight simulators, drone demonstrations, AI coding stations, LEGO robotics, and a giant travelling museum from Discovering 42.

Girls had the rare chance to sit in real aircraft cockpits, chat with female pilots and engineers, and meet role models from the aviation and aerospace sectors — all of whom shared their passion and expertise to help ignite future ambitions.

Despite the downpour, spirits stayed high with activities from partners including Kids Invent Stuff, Leonardo Helicopters, Serco, DEFRA, Slingshot Aerospace, Isles of Scilly Travel, Discovering 42, Cognition Learning, Cornwall Council, Falmouth Games Academy, Cornwall College, Truro and Penwith College, Newquay Flying School, Spaceport Cornwall, and Cornwall Airport Newquay.

Over 100 volunteers from organisations such as the RAF Cadets, Girl Guides, Cornwall Air Ambulance, Kernow Soroptimists, and Newquay Waterpolo also played a key role in delivering the event.

Big Stats, Big Smiles

Feedback from the event suggests it left a lasting impression:

98% of attendees were satisfied or very satisfied
100% said they would recommend the festival to a friend
94% of children left feeling more excited about aviation and aerospace
98% of girls were more interested in Technology, Engineering or Creativity
86% said the girl-focused theme influenced their decision to attend

One attendee said:

“It was a day of fun, it was a day of laughter. It was a day of so many smiles. It was a day of meeting so many wonderful people who all spoke so passionately about their role, the technology they were using, the planes they were flying and it was heartwarming.”

Another added:

“It’s great for girls to feel that there is something aimed directly at them and that they are just as capable as anyone else of excelling in technical careers. The content of the event was very inspiring both for girls and parents! We are looking forward to the next one.”

Why It Matters

Women make up fewer than 6% of UK pilots and under 10% of aviation engineers. Reach for the Sky Festival 2025 set out to address this by offering role models, practical experiences and a message that girls belong in these industries too.